Expressing its eagerness to contest the election to the BGMEA this year, apparel makers' platform Shadhinata Parishad has expressed its reservation against any selection process to choose the leadership of the trade body.
It alleged that a platform of former presidents of the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) exists in the trade body, which is very influential and decides the leadership bypassing any elections.
"We want to break the bad tradition," Convenor of Shadhinata Parishad Jahangir Alam told a views exchange meeting with journalists at Dhaka Club in the city on Sunday.
The election is scheduled to be held on April 06.
"Anyone can be the president of BGMEA, but he or she has to be chosen through direct elections," said the convenor, adding that the BGMEA general members are being deprived of their democratic rights due to the selection process.
The selected leaders are not accountable to their members as they are not chosen through direct voting, he noted.
The Shadhinata Parishad was formed on January last year, just before the election which was scheduled for March 07 last year, but was later cancelled, he said.
Earlier on January 12 this year, the BGMEA election board announced February 28 as the last date for submitting nomination papers for the candidates and March 06 as the last date for withdrawal.
Two panels, Sammilita Parishad and Forum, traditionally compete for the BGMEA's leadership while Shadhinata Parishad started campaigning for the upcoming election.
The existing board under the leadership of incumbent President Md Siddiqur Rahman took the responsibility of the office of the trade body for a two-year term on September 22, 2015 through a negotiation process.
The negotiation was made between the two groups -- Sammilito Parishad and Forum. Sammilita Parishad holds 19 posts while Forum gets 16 posts of the directorship.
According to the understanding, the present president has been selected from the Sammilito Parishad for the first two years while the leader was supposed to be selected from the Forum for the next two-year term.
BGMEA is being run by a 35-member board of directors, including seven vice presidents.
Though the tenure of the board was two years, the existing board remains in office for more than three and half years as the government has extended its tenure thrice.
As per the negotiation, the Forum was supposed to take the BGMEA's leadership for the next term.
Industry insiders, however, said Mohammadi Group Managing Director Rubana Huq is going to be the president candidate from the Forum.
The BGMEA started with only 12 members in 1978 and presently has around 4,300 member factories, according to its official website.
Around 40 per cent of BGMEA member-factories are knitwear and sweater manufacturers, and the rest 60 per cent are woven garment manufacturers.
BGMEA member factories account for 100 per cent woven garment exports of the country and more than 95 per cent of sweater exports, while around half of the light knitwear exports are made by them, according the website.
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